EADS Changes to Name to Airbus Group

The European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company, EADS, is changing its name to Airbus Group in order to both capitalize on its best known brand, and to reflect the fact that with defense budgets under pressure, it sees the commercial aircraft business as its main sector of growth for the foreseeable future.

Of particular interest in the aerospace field, EADS subsidiary Astrium, which is the prime contractor for the Ariane V, will be combined with Cassidian, the defense and security group to become Airbus Defense and Space, with headquarters in Munich, Germany.

It is not clear what if any impact the name change will have on the company’s overall stance in the continuing evolution of space transportation, but as one of the most dominant players in the industry, any substantive change is noteworthy. To the extent, as press reports suggest, that this effort is meant to unravel some of the tightly bound political and geographic influences which constrain EADS, it may have more long-term significance in allowing it to respond to market changes, including the emergence of new ones, in the future.